Atheist-Friendly Movies

[Fake Messiah]

It's not just about "anti-theism" CL, if you actually looked at some of those movies you'd understand. Try to take a look at James Randi documentary for NOVA it's on youtube

[Gawdzilla Sama]

For those of you who don't know, Yul Brenner played the Pharaoh in "The Ten Commandments". God talked him into getting his own first born son killed.

[Shell B]

We watched a James Randi docu recently. I really enjoyed it. I'm about to go through the OP list and see what's what.

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Inherit the Wind (1960) - haven't seen it.
Agora (2009) -Fucking loved this movie. I have to get Tibs to see it.
The Invention of Lying (2009) - I like how when he invents lying one of the first lies is "god" and people immediately stop caring about this life and making any effort.
Religulous (2008) - hilarious
Jesus Camp (2006) - haven't seen it.
Marjoe (1972) - Too much singing? I'm out.
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) - To me what Breakfast at Tiffany's is to the vapid.
A Journey to Planet Sanity (2013) - sounds like an MST3K title
Kumaré (2011) - No idea.
Secrets of the Psychics (1993) - Haven't seen it.
An Honest Liar (2016) - Loved it.
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012) - Probably very sad. Reminds me about a documentary I saw about an Irish priest who got away with rape for years in California, I think.
The Brand New Testament (2015) - Nice. Will see.
The Keepers (2017) - We watched most of this. Still working on it.
The Unbelievers (2013) - I think I started watching this and wash bored.

[Fake Messiah]

The Keepers (2017) - We watched most of this. Still working on it.

Yeah "Keepers" is a long documentary and it is mostly about these few women that are doing the research on the murder that police mysteriously abandoned. As its so long at times it looks like it may even be part of their imagination, only in the last episode we see they are right. Like with the witness that as a girl was brought by the priest to see the dead nun in the woods (so that she sees "what happens to those that talk") and who was ridiculed later by the police after she claimed that maggots were crawling all over her - because according to them there were no maggots at that part of the year - it turns out that in the last episode they get the mortician's file and see that he did indeed filed maggots crawling over her.

Inherit the Wind (1960) - haven't seen it.

Come on you have to see that one. There is also newer version with Jack Lemmon and George C Scott. But the first one is better, although if you haven't watched the 1st one newer version will also look very compelling.

"Inherit The Wind" was based on a famous play which reminds me of another movie based on a play The Crucible (1996) although some would argue it's using Salem which trials as allegory on McCarthyism that were happening when the play was written.

[Shell B]

I'll check it out at some point. My list of must-see movies and must-read books is so long that I'll need to live to 200.

[mlmooney89]

As I've been told, atheism isn't anything except lack of belief. It isn't opposition to religion, it's simply an absence of it, from what I understand. So I'm not sure what "atheist topics" would even be in the first place, besides just topics that don't involve/promote religion lol. Most movies don't. That's what I meant.

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I guess if we wanna say "anti theist topics" and "anti theist movies", that would make more sense, because there's actually a principle involved.

It's literally the same reason we come to this site to talk. We want to talk to like minded people about things we mostly have to shut up about in day to day life. It's not that we are going 'rah rah rah let's take down religion!' it's more of 'I'm so sick of seeing religious movies can we please see something that I agree with?' The movies that don't mention religion or the lack of it at all are not part of this category at all because they are neutral to both parties. Usually I try to side with you because I do get that some of the things other atheists say are mean but I can't agree that there isn't a crap ton of religion in Hollywood. They get made in a blink of an eye and we just kind of ignore it or shrug it off. The times movies go against religion you have to worry about being politically correct and almost none of them get to the fame of the religious ones. I mean shit look at The Passion of the Christ and God's Not Dead. According to God's Not Dead you'd think atheists were the worst monsters ever with no hearts and pushing Christians down when in reality the ten commandments stand on government property. When Christians make a movie it's them standing up for themselves but when atheists make a movie it's 'seriously? Stop trying to take our religious rights away'.

[drfuzzy]

"The God Who Wasn't There"  (2005)   It's about a fundamentalist xtian kid's journey away from the cult.

[Mister Agenda]

As I've been told, atheism isn't anything except lack of belief. It isn't opposition to religion, it's simply an absence of it, from what I understand. So I'm not sure what "atheist topics" would even be in the first place, besides just topics that don't involve/promote religion lol. Most movies don't. That's what I meant.

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I guess if we wanna say "anti theist topics" and "anti theist movies", that would make more sense, because there's actually a principle involved.

In the USA, especially in certain states, we're surrounded by religion all day every day, and the list of movies that even mention that one of the characters is actually an atheist is pretty short. We're allowed to want to see ourselves in movies without people eager for a 'gotcha' re-imagining that as being anti-theist. But we can't have that, even on an atheist forum. We can't even talk about it without having that, apparently.

[Catholic_Lady]

As I've been told, atheism isn't anything except lack of belief. It isn't opposition to religion, it's simply an absence of it, from what I understand. So I'm not sure what "atheist topics" would even be in the first place, besides just topics that don't involve/promote religion lol. Most movies don't. That's what I meant.

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I guess if we wanna say "anti theist topics" and "anti theist movies", that would make more sense, because there's actually a principle involved.

It's literally the same reason we come to this site to talk. We want to talk to like minded people about things we mostly have to shut up about in day to day life. It's not that we are going 'rah rah rah let's take down religion!' it's more of 'I'm so sick of seeing religious movies can we please see something that I agree with?' The movies that don't mention religion or the lack of it at all are not part of this category at all because they are neutral to both parties. Usually I try to side with you because I do get that some of the things other atheists say are mean but I can't agree that there isn't a crap ton of religion in Hollywood. They get made in a blink of an eye and we just kind of ignore it or shrug it off. The times movies go against religion you have to worry about being politically correct and almost none of them get to the fame of the religious ones. I mean shit look at The Passion of the Christ and God's Not Dead. According to God's Not Dead you'd think atheists were the worst monsters ever with no hearts and pushing Christians down when in reality the ten commandments stand on government property. When Christians make a movie it's them standing up for themselves but when atheists make a movie it's 'seriously? Stop trying to take our religious rights away'.

There are several things here I wanna point out. 

First and foremost, I'm not complaining about ya'll watching whatever you wanna watch or giving you shit for it or saying you're trying to take my religion away lol. So, I'm not sure if you got that impression or what, but none of my posts here have done any of that.

All I have done in this thread is merely pointed out that most movies in Hollywood are vastly non religious related. Lol I don't see how anyone can disagree with that. I've been told over and over again that "atheism" simply means "absence of religion" and not "opposition to religion." It has no principles or topics of its own, to be talked about. In that sense, I figure since most Hollywood movies are a-religious, they would qualify as "atheist friendly movies", per my understanding of the definition of atheism which I've learned here. And then I said the type of movies being described here would more accurately be described as "anti theist movies" rather than simply "atheist."

As far as your claim that movies mostly paint religion in a respectful light when it does get brought up, I don't know about that. I feel there are plenty of movies where they paint religion in a negative light mostly by making the one crazy character of the movie religious or something. And you feel there are plenty of movies which paint religious beliefs in a positive light. Perhaps there are plenty of both and we each only remember the ones that make us roll our eyes. But one thing is true, the vast majority don't mention religion one way or the other, and in that sense, seem to qualify as atheist friendly.      

Now, about God's Not Dead, trust me I agree that movie is shit. It's embarrassing, and I, as a Christian (though not the Evangelical type like in the movie) am embarrassed for it. On the flip side of the coin though, I also watched the movie "The Ledge" where the bad guy is a Christian man who tries to kill his wife while reading the bible to her. Same principle, opposite side. I hated it for the same reasons, though I hated the former more because it is supposed to be representing me as a Christian.

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As I've been told, atheism isn't anything except lack of belief. It isn't opposition to religion, it's simply an absence of it, from what I understand. So I'm not sure what "atheist topics" would even be in the first place, besides just topics that don't involve/promote religion lol. Most movies don't. That's what I meant.

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I guess if we wanna say "anti theist topics" and "anti theist movies", that would make more sense, because there's actually a principle involved.

In the USA, especially in certain states, we're surrounded by religion all day every day, and the list of movies that even mention that one of the characters is actually an atheist is pretty short. We're allowed to want to see ourselves in movies without people eager for a 'gotcha' re-imagining that as being anti-theist. But we can't have that, even on an atheist forum. We can't even talk about it without having that, apparently.

Why is everyone acting like I said they're not allowed? Lol.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Lol. I'm reminded of the days when the tobacco industry paid to have characters smoke in a movie.